Nanotechnology in manufacturing paints for eco-efficient buildings

The addition of a photocatalyst provides decontamination properties to a paint. It is able of continuously oxidizing both organic and inorganic pollutants and microorganisms under the influence of light. Photocatalytic paints are useful in a wide range of fields such as: - Purification of air environments by degrading air pollutants - Maintaining the aspect of buildings reducing or eliminating the costs of cleaning - Sterilization of the environment by removal of bacteria and fungi (e.g. hospitals) TiO2 is by far the most used catalyst due to its high photoactivity and photostability and its relatively low cost. Pure TiO2 is however only active under UV (e.g. solar) irradiation. This limits its use to outdoor environments where indeed it has been extensively deployed, while for indoor environments other types of photocatalysts are needed. In average, humans spend 90% of their time in confined indoor environments, which are well known to accumulate pollutants as e.g. VOCs. This makes the use of photocatalytically active paints in indoor environments interesting. Since the intensity of UV radiation in an indoor environment is generally low (~ 50 mW/m2), catalysts are modified by doping them with a low amount of photosensitizer in order to enable the activation by means of artificial light. The formation of intermediate products due to the incomplete degradation of pollutants and the secondary emissions of potentially toxic compounds arising from the paint itself should be carefully addressed, especially when considering indoor environments.

DEL CACHO Carmen;  GEISS Otmar;  LEVA Paolo;  TIRENDI Salvatore;  BARRERO Josefa; 

2013-05-16

Woodhead Publishing Limited

JRC73595

978-0-85709-544-2,   

http://woodhead.metapress.com/content/x206npt8410175x1/?genre=article&id=doi%3a10.1533%2f9780857098832.3.343,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC73595,   

10.1533/9780857098832.3.343,